Thursday Tidbits

I share Tom Matzzie's thanks to Ari Fleischer for leading Republican political attacks on Iraq against Pete Domenici, Susan Collins, Norm Coleman, John Warner, Gordon Smith, Elizabeth Dole, Mitch McConnell, Saxby Chambliss, Lamar Alexander and many other Republicans.

Speaking of Iraq, it looks like "insurgent and sectarian violence will remain high" for a while yet.

Alabama: State Senator Vivian Figures will officially announce her Senate campaign on Saturday. Some are skeptical that she can offer Bush rubber-stamp Jeff Sessions a competitive race, preferring to have seen Commissioner Ron Sparks enter the race. I do think Commissioner Sparks would have provided a more competitive race. At this point, I will be content if Figures keeps it close enough to force Sessions to spend a good chunk of dough and keep him busy in-state instead of campaigning for vulnerable nearby Republicans in 2008 Senate races in Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky, and other southern states.

Maine: The local media is openly mocking Susan Collins for her manufactured controversy over her video tracker. Y'see, Collins has a history of making up fake controversies and misrepresenting commonplace political tactics in order to gain politically, dishonest though it is. Meanwhile, Tom Allen offers his reality-based thoughts following his most recent trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Speaking of Iraq, Susan Collins' chief web guy once again puts his foot in his mouth with "listening to him [Tom Allen] rail against the Iraq war is just another example of this strange lottery the Democratic Party has won with this war." Is that how craven the Collins' camp's politics are? The Iraq War, having cost the lives of 3,700+ American troops and approaching half-a-trillion dollars, is nothing more than a political calculation to the Collins camp, a "lottery." Shameful.

Kentucky: The American Prospect concludes that "Mitch McConnell should be seriously worried about his '08 re-election bid," offering that "the bloodhounds are out, and they're already nipping at McConnell's heels." (HT: DMKY) To make matters worse for McConnell, Iraq War vet Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Horne is sounding more like a potential 2008 Senate candidate. (HT: The Bridge)

Oklahoma: The Edmond Sun offers a stirring chronicle of State Senator and 2008 Senate candidate Andrew Rice's background. (HT: DocHoc)

Virginia: Rumblings of a Jim Gilmore for Senate campaign in 2008 are getting louder. A Gilmore-Tom Davis primary would be bloody fun to watch. I'm sure that Gilmore hopes that a Senate campaign would be better regarded than his term as Governor was. Kos offers further insights.

Texas: Republican John Cornyn is bad for veterans.

New Jersey: Republican wannabe-Senate candidate Joe Pennacchio is shoring up his whacko-right-wing conservative credentials with the support of former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler.

Check out the DSCC's new bumper sticker contest!